St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-01-20
.utDGE POLAND AT HOMIE.
4 story of n Might with a Catamount--
A Fierce Fight.
From Maa and Erpress.

A Fierce Fight.
From Nail and Express.
ST.. JoHNsBURY, VI, Jan. 5.-With
a slow and majestic tread, as if he
were unwilling to hasten under the
immense load of brain he carries, with
his big white head uncovered and his
traditional old brass buttoned, blue
swallow fail Tapping in the wind, ex-
senator, ex-congressman and ex-repub-
lican leader Luke p Poland stalks out
into the piazza of his hotel bright and
early every morning and shifts the
mountain air. Judge Poland is now
past IS, and Ia years older than he was
when he was chairman of the commit
tee that dug up the Credit Mobilier
scandal and the political graves of so
many leaders besides. But he doesn't
look changed a particle since those
days, and his solid frame and logged
and resOlute face show that there is
lots of fight left in the old man yet.
At present he is leading a very quiet
and retired life here, devoting his time
to edifying the natives with sage Opin
ions and stories of Olden times and
waiting, so people say, for a good
chance to stick the knife into that an
cient statesman, Senator Justin S. Nor
rill.
"When was boy" said the Judge
this morning, as he blew a long and
pOrtentOus blast on an enormous BAN
dana, which he fished out from under
the blue swallow tails-"when | was
boy the woods in Vermont were
mighty thick and the settlers were few.
At that time the woods were full of
catamOunts or lOup-cervier-'lOO Sc
vee,' the hunters called them--and the
farmers had great to do to keep 'the
fierce beasts from carrying off their
sheep and killing their cattle. L lOup-
cervier is pretty nearly as big as u
mastiff, as fierce as a tiger and as
strong as lion, and is altogether
about as uncomfortable a creature to
deal with as ever lived. My father had
with him on his farm then man
named Jonas Shepherd, fellow of
prodigious strength and such great
courage that | don't believe he ever
knew the sensation of fear. My father
had not lost much by the lOup-cer-
viers, because he had kept his stock
securely closed in strong shed, which
none of the prOwling beasts had yet
succeeded in breaking into. The
house stood on the edge of the clearing,
and back of it for miles and miles
there was nothing but the mountains
and woods. One night the family had
all gone to bed except Shepherd, who
sat up by the big pine fire Smelling
corn with jack-knife stuck in a log of
wood. All of Il sudden he heard a
crash from the cattle shed and a big
noise among the cattle. He dashed
out in his shirt sleeves and found that
an enormous lOup-cervier, the biggest
of his kind ever seen in the country,
had broken in the roof of the shed and
was in among the sheep.
''As soon as he heard Shepherd ap-
preaching he jumped to the roof of the
shed and crOuching for a moment,
sprang through the air for the intrud-
er. Shepherd jumped aside and the
big cat landed harmlessly on the
ground. In an instant he was up
again and furious battle between the
man and the savage brute began.
Shepherd had a knife, and for IL mo-
ment he tried to make it reach IA vital
spot, while the loo screamed and bit
and tore its tremendous claws through
the mans flesh. The noise of the fight
awakened the rest of the family and
father, grabbing up a pine torch from
the fire, ran out of the house. He was
just in time to see IL curious spectacle.
Shepherd, without stitch of clothing
on and covered from head to foot with
blood, was holding the screaming,
loo by the throat and heels high above
his head, and running as fast as he
could towards the woods. We all
dashed after him, and were just in time
to see the end of the contest. Shop
herd ran into the brook until he was
in to his waist, and then plunged the
'ferOcious brute in out of sight. There
was ii tremendous struggle for few
minutes, during which Shepherds
blood dyed the brook red, and then
everything was still. Then Shepherd
came out, dragging the drowned body
of the loo after him. We got him to
bed as soon as possible and did every
thing to relieve him, but it was more
than three months before he was able
to stir, and he never quite recovered
from his injuries. My father said he
counted more than 900 distinct wounds
on his body. Old hunters said that if
he hadn't had sense enough to drown
the brute he would have been killed
sure. The fight took place where one
of the finest churches in New England
stands to-day"